The present disclosure generally relates to the field of surgical instruments. In particular, a surgical reduction clamp is described.
When treating a bone fracture, bone fragments are typically aligned in a first step. The act of aligning and restoring the correct position of bone fragments is called reduction. Perfect anatomical reduction reverses the mechanism of injury which originally created the fracture displacement.
In a surgical procedure, often a screw, plate, pin or wire is installed across a fracture in order to maintain the alignment of the bone fragments for the later adhesion process. During the installation procedure, it is in many cases important to clamp the bone fragments together so as to eliminate the existence of gaps which may potentially reduce the chances of proper adhesion.
Various types of reduction clamps are available for such osteosynthesis procedures. Many of them are limited in their practical applicability for certain surgical treatments due to insufficient usability characteristics from the perspective of the operating surgeon.
WO 89/06939 A1 discloses a multi-purpose clamping forceps for use in orthopedic surgical procedures. The forceps has interchangeable tip elements and a reversible ratchet mechanism for controlling the tip elements. A variety of tip elements is provided and can be used for compression and distraction of plate and screw fixation systems as well as gripping and manipulating the bone.
WO 99/25262 A1 discloses a surgical tool for bone manipulation with a pair of pivotably connected handles. Joints provided at the ends of the handles are pivotably connected to respective attachment devices for engaging implants placed in a bone. A ratchet pivotably mounted to the first handle is engageable with the second handle.
However, such instruments are still not applicable in many surgical situations and usability aspects may still be improved.